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Cybertronians (Earth-7045)
The Cybertronians, also known as the Transformers, are a species of sapient, living robotic beings originating from the distant machine world of Cybertron. The designation "Transformer" stems from the species' generally-shared ability to transform, to change their bodies at will, rearranging their component parts from a robotic primary mode (usually, but not always, humanoid) into an alternate form; generally vehicles, weapons, machinery, or animals. In some continuities this ability to transform is innate to all members of the species, in others it was a wartime innovation that was adopted by most, but not all, of the populace. History to be added Physiology Traditionally, Transformers are living, sentient, sapient, emotional, and fully-mechanical beings. Though their metal bodies are easily built from conventional materials, they could feel pleasurable and painful sensations—physically "alive" in body, not just mind. The first stage of Transformer life, prior to taking on an alternate mode, is the raw, featureless "protoform". By the 24th century, synthetic flesh had become increasingly incorporated into their construction, often to aid in disguise or survival on worlds inhabited by organic lifeforms (a version of this technology had been introduced earlier with Pretender Transformers, though in that instance the synthetic flesh was a removable outer "shell"). During the Vehicon Uprising, events led to true organics being infused into individual Transformers' biology down to the cellular level, making them "technorganic" with an increased range of powers resulting. Anatomy Being mechanical creatures, Transformers possess a number of distinct mechanical parts that make up their anatomy. Transformation Cog The transformation cog, also referred to as a transforming cog, transition cog, conversion cog, T-cog, or morphcore, is a component important to a Transformer's transformation and even scanning. Brain Module A Transformer's mind and personality is housed in its brain module. The brain module is a cluster of supercomputers located in the Transformer's head. Transplanting the brain module into another piece of machinery effectively transfers the Transformer into a new body. The brain module is directly integrated with the part of Cybertronian anatomy known as the "life cord;" connected to the spinal strut via the cranial stem. Spark A spark is the lifeforce or soul of a Transformer. Each spark is part of the essence of Primus himself. The spark is a physical entity which is safeguarded inside a Transformer's body. If something harms the spark beyond repair it is "extinguished" returning to the Transformer afterlife and the Transformer is considered dead. A Transformer is able to survive an enormous amount of physical damage. As long as the spark is somehow intact it is possible to repair or rebuild the body and restore the spark to it. Alternate Mode An alternate mode (commonly shortened to "altmode", "alt mode", or "alt-mode) is a term used to describe a Transformer's non-robot form, whether it be vehicle, animal, or otherwise. Various more specific terms are also sometimes used—vehicle mode, beast mode, cassette mode, etc. Some Transformers don't have a humanoid form, so in those special cases, the altmode is perceived to be the mode which is more geared towards utility or disguise while their robot mode is the one geared more towards interaction with other Transformers. For example, Laserbeak and Ravage, their animal forms are their primary mode, and the cassettes their alternate modes. Even Grand Slam and Raindance, who transform from cassettes to vehicles, would be thought of as having a cassette alternate mode, as their vehicle forms—while not humanoid or animalistic—are at least self-mobile. Transformers with more than two modes are usually considered to have multiple altmodes. (Punch/Counterpunch on the other hand has one altmode and two robot modes). Energon Converter An energon convertor is an aspect of Transformer anatomy that is comparable to a human heart. Memory Core Memory cores are the devices which contain the memories of a Transformer. Voice Box A voice box, sometimes spelled voicebox is a biomechanism that allows a Transformer to speak in English or Cybertronian language. Without the aid of a voice box, a Transformer can usually only communicate via electronic noises which can be interpreted by other Transformers but not generally by humans Body-types A body-type, or model, is the basic design of a Transformer's chassis. The design can be shared with other Transformers, either with or without individualizing customizations. Upgrading or refitting a Transformer from one body-type to another can be a lucrative black market business. Datatrax Datatrax (also spelled data tracks) are the primary method of data storage used by Transformers. It is a universal digital format compatible with the Transformers' internal operating systems and both Cybertronian and Earth-based computing systems. Energy Unlike humans who need air and water as well as food, generally the Transformers' only major need to assure their continued functioning is fuel. Energon is the most common and preferred form of Transformer fuel. Other energy sources can be converted into energon simply by being condensed inside energon cubes. The Insecticons alone among Transformers prior to the 24th century seemed to be able to fuel themselves by ingesting organic matter, but by the 24th century, the ability to ingest organic substances to supplement their fuel needs seems more commonplace. Nucleon was extremely powerful but prone to unpredictable and destructive side-effects. Reproduction Cybertronians are normally created through one of two methods: they are either "forged" or "constructed cold." Forging Forging was the natural way for Cybertronians to be created. An energy pulse from the Allspark would flash across the world, igniting a hot spot where new sparks would emerge from the planet. There would be great rejoicing and ceremony, and the sparks and base substance—the "sentio metallico"—would be sought out and harvested from the living metal of Cybertron or its moons. The harvested sparks would then be matured via a process known as "the nurturing". The sentio metallico coalesces around a spark to form a protoform. Beginning as a simple geometric shape, a protoform develops into a mature Transformer through a process known as "deep-coding:" by following the "genetic instructions" hard-coded within their spark, it develops basic limbs and facial features and eventually manifests components, such as wheels or wings, that will become part of their natural alternate mode. As the protoform develops, it "cools" into a solid mechanical form. Now sufficiently humanoid to move under its own power, the young Transformer develops synaptic connections by imprinting on its surroundings, and by doing so it learns how to walk, talk, interact with others, and even transform. Transformers grow extremely fast: from its first "first flash," a Spark takes only two weeks to develop into a full-fledged Transformer, with the specific protoform-to-Transformer phase taking anywhere from two to five days. Cold Construction Cold Construction was a method created later when Guardian Prime learned natural spark creation was slowing from the Allspark being taken away during the first Decepticon uprising. Fearful (correctly, as it would turn out) that the pulsewaves from the Allspark would eventually halt entirely, Guardian entrusted the Matrix of Leadership to the top scientists of the fittingly-named Science Corps and charged them with tapping the fabled energy of creation legends claimed it possessed. The scientists succeeded in doing so and were able to generate thousands of sparks a day, which were then housed in pre-constructed bodies. Sparks were produced at such a rapid rate that they had to be stockpiled until new bodies could be constructed; their energies were frozen in photonic crystals, which would be placed inside the new bodies in order to thaw out, hence the term "constructed cold". Matrix-derived sparks contained the same genetic instructions as naturally occurring ones, but were unable to reshape their pre-constructed bodies in accordance, leaving cold constructed Transformers with different bodies from what their sparks intended. Recognizing the potential for outcry against what they were doing, a cover story was put in place to explain the birth of these new Transformers: the public were told that they were created via spark-splicing, using the energy of a Forged spark to ignite a new one. Eventually, one of the scientists had an attack of conscience and informed some remaining Decepticon insurgents, who proceeded to attack "splicing facilities" across Cybertron. Fearful of more retribution, the program was halted. The public were never told why the "spark-splicing" program was stopped; as such, by the time of Zeta Prime's assassination, Senator Traachon had made repeated lobbies to resurrect it. Negative feelings about cold construction led to apartheid against "knock offs", with some city-states "proving" that they were substandard. As the war dragged on, both sides discovered a long abandoned cache of frozen sparks from the days of the old experiments. They cold-constructed robots to fill out their ranks: "Made to Order" soldiers (M.T.O.s), who to some were seen as little more than cannon fodder. A formal education process was established for the M.T.O.s, a Ten Step program they needed to pass before being declared fit for duty that involved lots of data packets, revision, and exams. As the war continued, however, Ten Steps went down to Seven Steps and finally to Three Steps, which were simply uploaded into their minds as their sparks were thawing out, allowing them to deposited directly onto the battle field as soon as they came fully online. Culture The most distinctive facet of Transformers society has been its near-continuous state of planetary Civil War. While it didn't start out this way, the sides of the Great War have become defined by what each faction believed was the "destiny" of the Transformers: the Autobots believe in a peaceful society where Cybertron is a place of culture and justice, while the Decepticons believed in a "might makes right" philosophy where Cybertron would be the center of a mighty empire. The fact that the vast majority of what we know about Transformers has been shaped by this constant, corrosive warfare should not be overlooked. What a theoretical Transformer society would be like in peacetime is mostly unknown, glimpsed mainly during its disintegration into war or via brief flashbacks and asides. That said, there are some things we do know. Sociology The Cybertronian society of wartime is heavily polarized between Autobot and Decepticon. When there are neutrals they generally fare poorly, becoming victims of Decepticon abuse and destruction. What little we know of the society before the war suggests it was stratified economically between "haves" (like the aristocratic Mirage), "have-beens" (like the business-like Ratbat), and have-nots (the Empties of the Dead End). Nomenclature The names of Cybertronians include a "of place" suffix to describe where they were born, e.g. "Megatron of Tarn". Instead of a city-state, M.T.O.s (and some Warborn) were named after the battles, campaigns, or programs they were activated for, e.g. "Astrotrain of Project: Endgame". Politics Pre-Great War Cybertronian society was a republic ruled by a Senate, with each city-state having a subordinate council with lesser powers; the current Prime was subordinate to the Senate and only ran the miliary. By the era of the Maximals and Predacons, the planet is dually ruled by Maximal and Predacon governments with separate jurisdictions; it's not fully clear how this worked. We know the Maximals are in charge of pretty much most of Cybertron, with a Predacon Alliance overseeing Predacon affairs and a Bi-Partate Committee for State Affairs bridging the gap: a consociational government. There's a High Council, but they're rarely talked about despite having legislative power. Most of the time, when talking about governments, the Transformers refer to the Maximal Council of Elders or the Tripredacus Council (what is it with Transformers and the word "council"?). Both of them are bodies of old Transformers (well, the former would have to be!) who appear to wield the real power in their respective factions, making this brave new peaceful Cybertron hamstrung by its past. We're told that democracy is a Maximal tradition, indicating the Maximal's Councils are elected by the people. Affairs with other races The Civil Wars have resulted in the factions adopting radically different views of how to interact with other races. The Autobots, in the words of Optimus Prime, believe that "freedom is the right of all sentient beings", whereas the majority of Decepticons view organic races as little more than vermin. After the Pax Cybertronia, the Maximals were banned from travelling to certain areas of the galaxy. The Autobots have made diplomatic and military alliances with humanity, most notably in having Autobot City built on Earth. Religion Cybertronians hold a wide variety of religious beliefs, and the true nature of Cybertronian life remaining a mystery until the Unicron War. The most common deistic belief is in the pantheon known as the Guiding Hand, five aspects of the warrior god Primus, a being conceived in reaction to an unknown "opposite". The creation myth known as the "Primal Sacrament" describes how these five gods populated Cybertron before falling in a war amongst themselves, their last remains becoming Vector Sigma, the Matrix of Leadership, and the archetypal brain module and transformation cog. Belief in these gods is known as Primalism, and Primalists would sometimes wear a 'tattoo' of the Matrix on one cheek as a symbol of their faith. The religious texts known as the "Primal Prophecies" and belief in the Underbase are also associated with Primalism. Many other sects and religious organizations also exist. Neoprimalism is a form of organised religion which seemingly emphasises belief in miracles and the existence of unholy evil beings. Beachcomber championed a reinterpretation of the Primal Prophecies which viewed Primus as an abstract idea found in the beauty of the natural world. Drift is also a practicing spectralist, which places importance on color. Atheistic Cybertronians are referred to as "evolutionary engineerists" after the scientifically-grounded theory of atechnogenesis. Economics Pre-Great War Cybertron would qualify as capitalist, with stock markets, investments, and a wealthy, corrupt Senate with its hands into most of the financial dealings. However, Cybertron was also a class-based society with a large underclass working for the small, wealthy elite. Yeah, that ended well. Transformers occasionally used Shanix as currency among themselves. more to be added Category:Created by Trachodon56 Category:Species Category:Artificial Beings Category:Robots Category:Aliens Category:Earth-7045